Groupon Names a New CTO

The Chicago e-commerce company has named Colin Bodell as its chief technology officer. Bodell, a veteran tech executive, was previously the CTO of American Eagle Outfitters.

Bodell is Groupon’s first CTO since Sri Viswanath resigned in 2015. He’ll be tasked with leading Groupon’s global engineering efforts.

Colin Bodell (via Groupon)

“Colin’s experience leading global engineering teams, building world-class software and deserved reputation as a strong advocate for diversity in engineering make him a tremendous fit to help lead Groupon’s continued success,” Groupon CEO Rich Williams said in a statement.

Prior to American Eagle, Bodell was the CTO at Time, Inc. And before that, he held several senior technology roles at Amazon, including VP of its Digital Store Platform. Bodell will be based in Seattle, Groupon said.

Bodell’s hire comes the same month as Groupon announced Steve Krenzer, the former CEO of Core Digital Media, would join as COO, and Deborah Wahl, the former CMO of McDonald’s, would join the board of directors.

Groupon also announced this month that Brad Keywell, the company’s co-founder, has left the board.

Groupon’s stock was up almost 2 percent Tuesday morning to $5.80, the highest its stock price has been since June 2015.

“Groupon’s rapidly evolving marketplace presents some unique engineering opportunities, and the long-term potential for the platform is impressive,” Bodell said in the statement. “The talent across the organization — particularly the commitment to excellence on the product and engineering teams — allow us to build even more amazing experiences for customers and merchants.”

Jim Dallke is the associate editor of Chicago Inno. As part of the team that launched Chicago Inno in 2014, Jim covers the ins and outs of Chicago’s tech and innovation scene, and is always looking for scoops and story ideas. Get in touch: Jdallke@americaninno.com.